Birds-Eye Maple?

[PeteM]

Question: What causes the Birds-Eye pattern in Birds-Eye Maple?

No cheating. Don't Google it before answering.
I'm wondering what everyone thinks they know :wink_smil

FWIW I thought I knew but I found out I was wrong.

pete

 

[zapdafish]

I always thought it was some sort of stress that caused interesting grain patterns.

 

[bash]

As quoted in the classic movie Joe Dirt:

"How exactly is a rainbow made? How exactly does a sun set? How exactly does a positrac rear-end on a Plymouth work? It just does." :wsmile:

 

[CrealBilly]

No one knows the exact reason why maple produces birdseye. I've also see birds eye in beech, ash and black walnut. There are lots of theories like bird peck / fungus / virus / genetic mutation but none have been proven. I just like to think it's Gods handiwork and leave it at that.

It is interesting to note that the same tree produces birdseye and non birdseye lumber. I have yet to see a tree that produces 100% bridseye, it's limited only to a small section of the tree if present at all.

Thanks

 

[CDPeters]

Since it is primarily found in sugar maple - I wonder if it has anything to do with the tree having been tapped season after season for sap to make maple syrup?

I'm thinking maybe the repeated depletion of sap causes minor cellular damage which produces the birdseye figure...

Just a guess :dontknow: - minds WAY smarter than me have been studying this for decades...

C.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

I have heard that it is a genetic mutation that causes the tree to start growing a bunch of branches that don't really develop. This would imply that every "birds-eye" is a separate branch (although not fully formed). I don't know how much truth there is to this...

 

[Gofor]

I always thought it was ray-fleck to the maximum. Don't really know

Go

 

[Matt Furjanic]

I give up...

 

[PeteM]

Jeff is the man!!!

From WikiPedia:
It is not known what causes the phenomenon. Research into the cultivation of bird's eye maple has so far discounted the theories that it is caused by pecking birds deforming the wood grain or that an infecting fungus makes it twist. However, no one has demonstrated a complete understanding of any combination of climate, soil, tree variety, insects, viruses or genetic mutation that may produce the effect.

. . . and some more good maple info:
http://www.mapleinfo.org/htm/bird.cfm

pete

 

[Fred85]

I have heard that it is a genetic mutation that causes the tree to start growing a bunch of branches that don't really develop. This would imply that every "birds-eye" is a separate branch (although not fully formed). I don't know how much truth there is to this...

I've heard this as well...:dontknow: